Reunited
by theLilyLady
Summary: Chihiro's dying, yet she still clings on to the hope that Kohaku will fufill his promise to her. But if and when he returns, will he be able to save her? [CK pairing, DUH] and don't worry guys, this has got a Happy Ending
1. Waiting, always waiting

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited away.

Waiting, waiting, waiting. It seemed that she had spent her whole life endlessly waiting. Yearning for him to return. Wanting him to keep his promise to her.

Kohaku…

She gazed unseeingly into the swirling depths of the river, her slender hands cradled in her lap, unconsciously stroking her most precious possession in the world. It sparkled radiantly, catching the last rays of sunlight and scattered them about. A simple purple hair band. She had worn it for years after her return, as a reminder not to forget. But now, with all her chestnut locks fallen out from the treatment, it was impossible to do so anymore. Yet she kept it on her person at all times. Made with the love and friendship of Bou and No face, created by the magic of Zeniiba; it had protected her. It was her sole comfort and only physical proof that it was not all a dream.

It could not be a dream. That was what she told herself day after day. She refused to believe that the spirit world was not real. After all, dreams do not leave you with strange sparkly hair ties. Dreams do not make you fall in love with them.

No. He was definitely not a dream.

She sighed. A habit she had fallen into every time she thought about him. The boy who had changed her life so drastically many years ago. The dragon boy who had protected her and saved her. The young boy who she never doubted would return.

So she waited.

Days passed. Then weeks. Soon the seasons changed. The years melded together.

She could have waited for him forever. But it seemed that her time was running out. The doctors had given her a year to live. And that was 9 months ago. She remembered when they had told her she was going to die. The news had shocked her into withdrawal, choking the cry in her throat and squelching the tears that threatened to burst forth. She had been 16 then. Her life was barely beginning. That night whilst she lay in bed, tangled in her sheets, she had broken down and cried in the quiet. Through wretched sobs, she had begged for Haku…for Kohaku, for her dragon boy to come and lend her his inner strength and calm. But as always, her pleas went unanswered.

Her parents convinced her to undergo treatment, and she agreed. A flame of hope kindled in her despairing mind. But in the end, the treatment had been futile. The disease had spread rapidly, further sinking its evil roots into the entity of her body. Nothing could be done. Hope lost, she adamantly refused anymore treatment. Her parents had not argued. They had been there for her first therapy session. Her mother had held her hand whilst they stuck the needle into her. Her father had braced her shuddering body as the drugs took effect. Her mouth had been locked into a silent scream.

Kohaku…

She lifted her face up to meet the cool evening breeze, revelling in its cool touch upon her skin. A distant rumble told her that a storm was drawing close. It would arrive soon. Drawing her jacket tighter around her skinny frame, she got up from her chair and immediately stumbled and fell. Gritting her teeth in determination, she dragged herself to the river bank. Thin as she was naturally, the disease had eaten away at her body to the stage where her bones protruded obscenely against her skin. As time went by, her movements, normally bursting full of energy and vigour, became slower and more unsteady. She had to become accustomed to having her parents do the simplest tasks for her. She couldn't even eat by herself.

Leaning slightly forward, she studied her reflection in the water. Pale complexion, sad smile, and grim hazel eyes. Her face looked incomplete and lacking without eyebrows and eyelashes. Laughing, she recalled how she had tired to draw them back on after all her hair fell off. Then she remembered the hysterical tears that had followed after. She cut off in mid-giggle and her features returned to their sombre expression. Running a hand lightly across the river surface, she watched dispassionately as her image marred and dissipated.

Yes. She was going to die. Yet she was not afraid. Death did not scare her anymore. In the months following the traumatic news, she had somehow come to peace with her death. Now she viewed her last struggles as a race, with the finish line looming ahead, promising oblivion, promising eternal rest.

And she was tired, so tired of running. Her mother tried to put up a brave front for her, but she knew that in private, her mother would cry. She would weep for her daughter who would never get a chance to finish high school. Never be able to go out on her first date, or receive her first kiss. Her father handled his grief differently. He decided to take the night shift at the restaurant so that he could spend more time with her during the day. Together they would watch movies, make up recipes in the kitchen or just talk about everything and anything.

On some rare days, when her condition allowed it, he would take her for a walk in the countryside, her frail body supported in his arms. She loved those times; the wind in her hair and her father's strong stable heart, beating just beneath her ear.

Everyday he would sit her by the river that flowed through the town. Then he would disappear, always returning just as the sun set. She was glad for the privacy of those evenings. It was a pleasant change of scenery from the four boring walls of her bedroom. She did not like to be wrapped up in cotton-wool, treated as preciously as glass. Yet her mother persisted in doing so. Sometimes she felt a strong kinship to Bou, Yu-baaba's huge baby, and often wondered if he had ever broken free of his mother's apron strings.

Yet with all the frustration that she harboured from the stiflingly over-protective attitude of her mother, she never once complained. The guilt of causing her parents to suffer so much grief over her weighed heavily on her spirits. Parents should never have to bury their children.

So she let her mother baby her. After all, there wasn't much time left to do so.

Her father, on the other hand, understood her need for solitude. What she knew he didn't comprehend, but never questioned, was her need to be near running water.

Truth be told, the sound of it made her feel closer to _him_. And she wanted to spend as many days left to her, feeling as close to him as possible. If she still held on to hope, maybe he would come. Even if it was just to say goodbye.

Her patience never wavered. Her trust in him held absolute. A promise was a promise, and she knew that he would never readily break his word. Even though their time together had been painfully short, deep down in the depths of her heart and soul, she _knew_ him.

He would come. Eventually Kohaku would come for her. All she had to do was wait. Closing her eyes, she pictured him in her mind. His emerald eyes excluding such compassion and faith in her. His smile, so rare yet when he chose to direct it at her, overwhelmingly heart warming. If she strained hard enough, she could hear his voice calling out to her amidst the gurgling of the river.

Chihiro…

Her eyes snapped open.

Chihiro…

Her breath caught. That voice. It was…

Heart thumping loudly with anticipation, she lifted her head slowly.

"Chihiro! What are you doing on the ground! You'll catch a cold, sitting on the wet ground like that." A deep voice chided gently.

She sighed. A single tear flowed down her cheek and fell with an inaudible 'plop' into the rushing water. Strong arms enveloped her and lifted her up to rest against a warm chest.

"Come on now, let's go home. Your mother's probably worried sick by now"

"Yes dad." Chihiro snuggled into his embrace, partly to get closer to his heartbeat, but mainly to hide the tears in her eyes. "Let's go home."

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He was free.

After years spent in toil, slaving away in the sludge and slime of the bath house, he had finally worked off his debt. He was finally free. Free to return to her.

To Chihiro

His debt was paid, his contract over. His name and identity was his own. Now he had a promise to keep.

Leaping into the air, he transformed. His human body stretched and lengthened, pearly scales erupting from his skin. Soaring in the skies, he bared his fangs and roared his elation and triumph.

To freedom…to Chihiro.

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Dear (gentle, haha) readers,

Hope you guys enjoyed the story. I really enjoyed writing it to the soundtrack of Spirited away. So swoon away over the romantic scenes (soon to come up), cry over poor Chihiro's pathetic fate and wait in agony whilst I take my time updating…heheheh…BUT whatever you do, don't forget to give me your opinion! Ok? Also, feel free to ask any questions about the story in your reviews. Just as long as there as many compliments and such included!

P.s. I PROMISE to update within the month. If not, can someone please remind me!

theLilyLady


	2. Her farewell and His return

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited away.

Thanks you guys for all the wonderful reviews! It's so gratifying to know that people love reading my stories. So anyway, here are the romantic (awwwwww) scenes that I promised you all.

So sigh away….

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The rain pelted against the glass window violently, distorting her view of the outside world. It had started pouring the moment they had stepped into the house. After helping her into her pyjamas, her father placed her in the rocking chair by her bedroom window. Then he left for work. But not before kissing her firmly and whispering 'I love you honey'.

She heard him leave. Pressing her head against the window, she watched the storm rage with all its fury. Then she sighed his name.

Kohaku…where are you…

Dreamily, she drew his name in the condensation that formed on the glass, spreading and expanding like a white fog. Then she watched as the words blurred together and misted away. It was like as if they had never been written.

Like as if they had never existed at all.

Tiredly, she leaned back against the glass and tried to think about other things. Her favourite Sakura tree that stood right outside the window groaned as it swayed and bent with the force of the winds. Its branches were eerily illuminated by the street lamp, the only source of light apart from the occasional flickering of lightening in the distance. Cold seeped into her skin where it touched the glass, numbing her with its biting iciness.

"Chihiro! I've been looking everywhere for you dear. What are you doing sitting in the darkness? And don't lean against the glass. You might catch a cold!"

Why did everybody just automatically assume that she could get a cold at any moment?

Leaning back resignedly, she turned to the doorway and gave her mother a small sheepish smile.

That tantalizing aroma could only mean one thing. Hot chocolate! Her smile deepened into a grin of delight. Maybe there were some perks to being over pampered after all.

Taking the cup, she took a long sip of the hot, creamy drink. Then she placed the mug on the window still and thanked her mother.

"Drink it while it's still hot ok?"

She nodded and watched her mother stride to the door. Suddenly, a strange urgency came over her. She had to tell her mother something now, before it was too late.

"What is it Chihiro?"

Her voice caught. Now that she had her mother's attention, she had no idea what to say. Her fist was clenched so tightly that her nails bit painfully into her palm.

"I'm sorry…I didn't meant to get sick," she hastily bowed as a sign of respect, desperate to hide the fact that she was on the verge of bursting into tears, "thank you mum…for taking care of me."

"Chihiro…"

She gasped as her cold hands were suddenly encased in her mother's warm ones. Whipping her head up, she saw her mother kneel down beside her.

"Your sickness is not your fault Chihiro…it was _never_ your fault. You are not a burden to me. You are my brave little Chihiro. And I love you so much. I love you so much Chihiro…"

Her heart felt so full of emotion that she thought it would burst. But yet at the same time, it was as light as a feather. The guilt that had been weighing down her spirits had been lifted. She was not burden. She was loved.

"I love you too mummy."

Her mother gave her a crushing hug and a big smacking kiss on both her cheeks. Then getting up and dusting her knees, gave her one last smile and strode to the door.

"Mum, I…"

"Yes dear?"

Emotions warred within her. This could be her last chance to say it. Time was running out.

"It's nothing."

The door clicked shut.

"Goodbye mum." She whispered into the darkness.

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He was mildly aware of the woman leaving the room, his eyes never leaving the delicate form of the girl by the window for even a moment.

She had changed so much over the years. Yet in some ways she was still his old Chihiro. She had grown taller, yet he knew that she would stand half a head shorter than him. Her beautiful brown tresses were completely gone and the plates of her skull showed through the smooth alabaster skin of her head. Her face was sharper, thinner; her eyes deeper, sadder. Even though her body had matured from that of a young girl's to a woman, it barely showed with all the weight she had lost. But he knew that to be the cause of her illness.

His Chihiro was dying.

He had been in the skies, preparing to search for her through the spirit of the storm. Then suddenly, his senses honed onto her spiritual presence.

She was by a river.

Seeking permission from the current spirit residing in the river, he whispered to her through the running water. She gave no sign that she had heard him, and for a moment he was paralyzed with a fear that she had forgotten. Forgotten the time she had spent in the spirit world. Forgotten about Rin, Kamajii and Zeniiba. But most of all, that she had forgotten him.

Before he could call out to her again, a man came and took her away.

He had followed; recklessly flying through masses of lightening and clouds of rain gathering in the high heavens. He would not… no, _could_ _not_ loose her so soon after finally finding her.

The man took her into a building. When she disappeared from his sight, he had almost gone frantic with worry. Sensing his agitation, the spirit of the storm unleashed one of its storms immediately, dousing the land with a heavy downpour. He gave the spirit a deep bow of gratitude, then plummeted to the ground riding on the wind and the lightening.

He saw her pale face almost immediately at the window. Different as she had become, she was still undeniably Chihiro.

His wonderful Chihiro.

He could sense her spirit fading, the warmth that embodied her body slowly ebbing away. He wanted to cry. He wanted to throw his head back and curse the heavens for letting her die. But he wanted most of all, more than anything in the world, to take her into his arms like he once had, and soothe all her troubles away by telling her that everything was going to be alright.

Because he was here now.

And he was never leaving her again.

He had so many things to tell her. He wanted to give her all the messages given to her from Rin, Bou, Zeniiba and Kamajii. He wanted to hold her and give her a thousand apologies for not coming sooner. He wanted to repeat again and again, just how many times he had thought of her during the past years. Just how much he had _missed_ her.

It's going to be ok now Chihiro…

I'm here.

Readers,

Well…what did you think? He kept his promise. He's back. Now they can meet up, share hugs, then fly off to a distant land and have babies. So, technically I could just end this story right here. BUT, lucky for you guys, this story's to be a trilogy. cheers And I'm not done with Kohaku and Chihiro yet. So in short, don't worry, be happy, cause there's still more to come!

theLilyLady


	3. Reunited, at long last

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away

Chihiro…

She stiffened. It was that voice again.

Chihiro…

Making up her mind, she grasped the window latch and turned it. Then with all her strength, she swung the window open and welcomed the storm into her room. The wind swept past her, tugging insistently at her clothes and blowing the little knick-knacks in her room haphazardly about. Rain lashed down on her, leaving needle pin prick sensations on her face and soaking her to the bone.

Chihiro…

His voice was distant, yet she knew he was near.

He had come back.

Kohaku had returned.

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"Ko…Haku?" she called softly into the howling storm, "are you there?"

She had remembered.

Chihiro had remembered him.

Without any hesitation, Kohaku manifested.

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She knew he was there; sitting right beside her on the window still. Her skin shivered from the close proximity of their bodies; she could sense his aura colliding and melding with hers. It felt so right. It was as if he was the other half of her soul, once lost but now returned to complete the aching hole in her heart.

Yet even though her heart was near busting with happiness; she was afraid to look at him. Scared that he might not be really there. Terrfied that he was just a hallucination.

"So it wasn't a dream," her trembling lips curved into a half-smile.

"It never was." His voice sounded lower, huskier. But it still held the reassuring and comforting tone that she knew and loved.

"You came back."

"I always keep my promises."

Tears sparkled in her eyes. Tears of joy and relief. Of grief and sadness.

Kohaku had finally returned to her. She didn't question why he had waited for so long; she didn't care. All that mattered was here and now. The time they had left to spend together was too precious to waste. She was so glad that he had come. Now she would be able to bid him farewell one last time.

His hand, pale and translucent in the feeble light, lightly stroked her cheek. Gasping at the strange coolness of his ghostly touch, she glanced up at the spirit boy.

He had grown. She didn't know that spirits were subject to the changes of time. He was taller, his shoulders broader, and if possible, more handsome than ever. The cold, sharp features of his younger years had softened over the years; his mouth was full and sensitive, his cheeks lean and white. His eyes were still the same though; bright and intense, full of age-old knowledge and an infinite calm.

In her observation, she noted how he held himself with a confident air. In their years apart, Haku had somehow transformed from a lost little spirit boy into a man, sure of himself and of the world around him. Her fingers itched to run through his wind tousled green locks, still cut in its familiar short, blunt style.

"Chihiro?"

"Yes Haku?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." Eyes downcast, he bowed his head in apology, "I would have, but Yubabba wouldn't let me leave."

"But why?" She hadn't thought that the old witch could be _that_ unreasonable. After all, Haku had remembered his name, there wasn't anything to keep him back…was there?

"I had to complete the remaining years of my contract, so she mostly had me doing the filthiest cleaning jobs in the bathhouse." He cocked his head up and grinned mischievously, "I always thought of you whilst scrubbing the big tub."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion "which tub?"

"The one where you unmasked the river god who was disguised as a stink spirit; Rin told me all about it. I always knew you were brave Chihiro, but to take on a stink spirit? That's heroic!

She ducked her head in embarrassment, "well, it wasn't a real stink spirit…"

His grin widened; she looked so pretty when she blushed.

"In any case, I didn't fare so well when one did come looking for a bath."

"What?" she stared at him in disbelief, "YOU had to give a stink spirit a bath?"

"Yes." He grimaced, and gave an exaggerated shudder, "it was terrible. I had to give it a full body scrub too. Yubabba didn't even allow me to use any magic even though that thing reeked! I think I almost drowned in all that sludge…and I also stayed an awful brown for an entire month after though I must have washed myself more than –"

A choked sound halted him in mid-rant.

"Chihiro? Are you _laughing_ at me?"

He sounded so personally affronted that she lost all control, bursting forth into peals of laughter.

He tried to look both disapprovingly stern and hurt at the same time, and failed miserably. She only laughed all the more harder, clamping her hands around her mouth in a futile effort to muffle the sound.

"Chihiro? Are you alright?" her mother's voice called from below, "what's all that noise about?"

She hiccupped and valiantly tried to swallow the giggles bubbling from her throat, "I'm alright mum. It's –hic– nothing, I was just –hic– talking to myself."

Yeah, something funny along the lines of a certain proud and stately dragon getting swamped with stinky brown gloop.

She was just about to start up again when she caught the expression on his face.

He didn't look angry or even insulted that she had been laughing at him. No, he was just gazing at her, his expression unreadable and his emerald eyes glowing with some kind of emotion that she could not quite identify. But it made her feel warm all over.

"I'm so glad you're here Ha…Kohaku." She corrected herself with a smile.

"So am I." he returned her smile with his.

They sat together in the near darkness, oblivious to the rain that cascaded down upon them, talking and laughing. He told her about the spirit world; of his many humorous cleaning escapades and updates on the bathhouse staff. Rin had been promoted to head cleaner and now had almost accumulated enough money to buy a train ticket. Kamajii was as happy as ever, content in his boiling furnace with the soot balls for company. Bou was more often out of his room than in now; his adorable chubby form made him a big hit amongst the guests of the bathhouse. No face was still living with Zeniiba, and now was quite the expert at knitting, baking and housecleaning. Zeniiba…well Zeniiba was the same. Nosey, mothering and always full of advice.

In turn, Chihiro filled him in about her life in the human world. About the friendships and bonds she had made in her school. Of her unforgettable encounter with a skunk that had escaped from the nearby zoo only to find its way into their backyard. Her tone was animated and lively, her eyes sparkling as she made him laugh time and again.

Then she told him about her illness. How suddenly it had crept up on her. And the deep depression she had fallen into, where she did not speak to anyone for weeks. She skimmed over the details about her therapy, speaking only of how it caused her hair to fall out and how, in the end, it was unsuccessful.

"I'm dying Haku."

The hopelessness he heard in her voice wrenched his heart. Where was the lovely, dynamic Chihiro with the vibrant eyes who amused him with funny stories just moments ago?

He rested his hands on her shoulders, but they just passed through her. How he wished he could touch her, if only to transfer some of his strength into her feeble body.

Then she did something that astounded him.

She smiled. It was small; yet it still lit up her eyes as brilliantly as ever.

"I knew you would come. I knew that I would see you again before..." the light went out from her expression and her smile became grim, "before I died."

"Still, I'm glad…" She continued in a shaky voice, "I'm glad I got to see you one last time..."

"Oh Chihiro…"

He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. Then, lightly, he brushed his nose against hers. Once. Twice.

A dragon kiss.

"Don't worry Chihiro. I've come back. And I'm never leaving you again. I promise."

His bold words broke her out of the stunned reverie she had fallen into. She looked at him in bewilderment and wonder.

"I'll take you with me. To the spirit world. We can live together with Zeniiba and No Face. Or anywhere else you want. Just as long as you're with me, I don't care where."

"Kohaku…"

"I can build us a home." He continued in an adamant tone, ignoring to her attempts to interrupt. "I can take care of you Chihiro. If you'll let me, I'll make sure that you'll never want for anything."

His long, graceful hands flew up to cradle her face gently.

"I love you Chihiro."

These simple words were spoken with such sincerity and certainty that she knew in the very core of her being; that they were true. Eyes brimming with happiness and adoration, she gazed into his own and saw love, security, and a future together with him.

"Kohaku…" she began.

"You don't have to die. We can leave now, together. You shouldn't have to die Chihiro, you deserve better–"

"shhh…" she rested one finger against his lips, hushing his frantic babble.

Kohaku flushed. He _had_ been babbling. It was just that the mere thought of having to watch Chihiro die sent him into a panic.

His feared that she would refuse his offer, choosing instead to die a natural death. If that were to be her choice, he would more than likely never be able to find her again. Her soul would become lost to him amongst the masses of the dead. She could even be reincarnated and he would never know. A vision of a lonely future spent without her by his side frightened him. He remembered all to well how desolate everyday had been without her, whilst he worked in the bath house. How could he possibly survive for the rest of eternity with the same emptiness in his heart?

"I will go with you."

"What? You…" His voice trembled with barely suppressed joy, "you'll come?"

"Yes." She said softly, cheeks beautifully flushed.

His smile was akin to those one only read about in romance novels. She felt as if all her limbs had turned into jelly.

She sat still, her trust and faith in him apparent in her face, as he brought his own barely inches away. Then tenderly, he gently pressed his lips against hers in a chaste, sweet kiss.

Chihiro felt a tug at her heart. It was not painful, just uncomfortable. Her breaths quickened, and suddenly, she felt herself lift up and away from her body and then, a wonderful lightness and detachment.

She looked at her hands, eyes widening when she found that she could see through them.

Strong hands enveloped hers.

Chihiro gasped. They could touch.

With a muffled cry of happiness, she flung her arms around him and gave into his warm embrace.

Finally, after 6 long years of waiting, they were reunited at last.


	4. Epilouge

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited away.

Yuuko ran up the stairs, her heart pumping with dread at the loud noises she heard coming from Chihiro's room. Flinging the door open with a bang, she turned on the lights and spun around to check on her daughter.

What she saw turned her blood to ice.

The window was open and banging with every strong gust of wind. The curtains billowed madly and the carpet around the window had been soaked through. Chihiro was still sitting in her chair. Her body was relaxed and she looked to be asleep despite the rain that fell on her.

Her eyes zeroed onto her daughter's chest.

Chihiro's chest…was not moving.

Yuuko stifled a sob and clutched her hands to her heart. Her baby was gone. She had passed away, all alone, in the darkness of her room.

Slowly and hesitantly, emotionally shaken and unsure of her actions, Yuuko made her way to the window and shut it against the storm. The room became as quiet as a tomb. Her gaze drifted to her daughter's face and lingered, comforted by the peaceful expression she saw there.

At least, she thought, Chihiro did not feel any pain.

That, in itself, was some consolation. In a tender motion, she cupped Chihiro's cheek in her hand; her skin was still warm to the touch.

With a farewell kiss brushed lightly to her daughter's forehead, Yuuko left the room to call her husband, closing the door softly behind her.

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Her hair streamed behind her, whipping around her face and tickling her neck. It was wonderful to feel again the weight of her hair, just as wonderful it was to finally have the energy to throw her hands up and scream in exaltation.

Burying her head into Kohaku's soft turquoise mane, Chihiro inhaled his wonderful scent and felt his body rumble with laughter.

He was sharing in her joy; he understood her love for flying.

Tightening her hold on him, she murmured to the wind and rain.

"I love you Nigihayami Kohakunushi."

She felt a shudder of ecstasy go through his body.

All of a sudden, Chihiro felt the dragon disappear from under her, and immediately found herself clasped firmly in the arms of Kohaku's human form.

On his face was the widest, happiest grin she had ever seen.

"Chihiro." His voice was like a gentle caress. It comforted her yet sent shivers up her spine at the same time.

He brought his cheek to hers and whispered in her ear.

"You have no idea how happy I am at this very moment."

Chihiro smiled shyly and circled her arms around his neck, "I think I do."

His lips sought hers and found them waiting, already parted.

Lightning flared against the dark skies, lighting up the couple in the midst of the storm for one brief instant.

Then in the next blaze, they were gone.

Guys and Gals:

I just couldn't bring myself to end the story without a kiss….awwww. Aren't they sweet? Sigh. Alright. That's it. There's no more. I guess this kind of calls for a more dramatic approach eh? So….

**THE END **

theLilyLady


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